


and we'll take the road south (and we'll keep driving 'til you feel warm again)

by cinnamonfiglatte



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fix-It, Pre-Relationship, because 2x14 was fucking exhausting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 11:11:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10017215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamonfiglatte/pseuds/cinnamonfiglatte
Summary: Wherein Lena shows up at Kara's door instead of Mon-El, and Kara and Alex really need to talk.





	

The shadows in her apartment felt so thick she could swim in them.  _Everything_ felt thick, felt watery, felt impossible to breathe through.

 

Kara let out another shaky breath. The pillow under her cheek had been cool when she'd laid down, but it was warm and a little wet with her tears now. She pulled the blanket up under her chin, didn't bother to wipe away the newer tears.  _Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , she thought.  _So_ stupid _to think that any of this was going to turn out fine!_ She'd been so happy when they'd found Jeremiah—when they'd found her  _father_ —and now she was not only fatherless again but  _sisterless_ , and alone, and exhausted, and feeling so  _foolish_ for trusting in Jeremiah and then trusting in Mon-El and then trusting in  _anybody_.

 

A knock on the door interrupted her train of self-piteous thought, but Kara was too burnt out to move.

 

"'s unlocked," she called. The door clicked open.

 

"Kara?" Lena stepped out of the bright hallway and into the shadows of Kara's apartment. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding. Your texts had me a little worried and I figured..." Lena trailed off as Kara looked up, taking stock of her heartbroken dishevelment. Lena had her purse on Kara's island countertop, halfway through pulling out a brown paper bag. She still had her heels and her jacket on, her tight work dress underneath and her hair pulled back in a slick ponytail. And, _god_ , did Kara look messy by contrast. Lena's voice went a little quieter. "I figured you could use a friend. What happened?"

 

"Lena, I—" Kara's stuffy voice cracked. Lena abandoned the purse but brought the paper bag with her, crossing the room in only a few strides to sit next to Kara. Kara closed her mouth, fiddling with her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers and pursing her lips. Lena slowly placed the bag between them on the couch, and Kara looked up from her fidgety hands at her.

 

"Last time I was feeling... not well... you brought me donuts. I figured I ought to return the favor," Lena whispered. "And, well, I couldn't find any donut places open this late, but I figure it's hard to hate chocolate croissants."

 

And the gesture was just so  _sweet_ , and Lena looked so awkward and uncertain sitting there in her coat and her CEO fineries in Kara's living room, and her voice was _so_   _gentle_  that Kara's chin buckled again and another sob worked its way loose. Lena's hands hovered, unsure—she'd always been taught not to cry in front of others, but everything in Kara was begging for affection and reassurance.

 

"If you'd rather be alone, I can—"

 

"Can I hug you?" Kara interrupted, voice quavering. "Please? I just..."

 

Lena didn't respond, just slipped her arms around Kara's shoulders while Kara slid her hands around Lena's middle. Lena leaned back a little, Kara laying partially on top of her, and patted Kara's shoulder gently. "What happened?"

 

"I—It's been a really long day," Kara whimpered. She wanted to confide in Lena— _Rao_ , she did—but telling Lena the full story meant telling Lena that she was Supergirl, and now was  _definitely_ not the time to be having that conversation. Lena, for her part, was quiet and patient. A little stiff in Kara's arms, like she wasn't used to being touched for that long or so intimately, but she was  _there._ And Kara suddenly realized there was no one who would understand better than Lena. 

 

(Except maybe Alex. But Alex hated her right now.)

 

Which was what she finally told Lena, a shaky, "I'm pretty sure my sister hates me, Lena."

 

"I don't know your sister very well," Lena confessed, speaking slowly, "but I'm pretty sure that isn't true."

 

"No, it—it's—" Kara sniffled. She didn't want to get her tears on Lena's expensive clothes, but Lena didn't seem to be overly worried about that at the moment, wide green eyes looking down at Kara's face. "My foster dad—Alex's dad, Jeremiah. He, uh, I guess  _reappeared_ after he was gone for... for  _so long._ " Kara fumbled over the story, trying to figure out how not to give anything about her secret identity or the DEO away. She hoped her hesitance didn't look to Lena like a lack of trust. She squeezed Lena just a little tighter, snuggling closer. "He'd been gone out of our lives for, like, ten years, and he suddenly reappeared and we were— _god_ , we were so happy." Kara's voice was anguished, and Lena stroked her hair with a gentle hand—a little clumsy, sure, but gentle, and Kara sighed and relaxed a touch anyway. "And then my, um—I don't really know what to call him right now, but _Mike_ , that guy who came to your gala?" Lena nodded, and Kara continued. "He told me he didn't trust Jeremiah. That Jeremiah was going to hurt me and Alex and, uh, leave again, I guess." 

 

" _Oh_ ," Lena murmured, running her hand over Kara's hair again—more confidently this time, Kara noticed almost absently. Lena's voice trembled a little when she asked, "And he did?"

 

Kara nodded against her chest. "But not before Alex and I got into a  _huge_ fight about it. Because I—I tried to  _ask_ Jeremiah why, um—why he'd—why he'd been  _snooping_ ," Kara declared finally, "around... um, Alex's apartment." God, Kara had never hated lying to Lena more than in this moment. "And he said he was trying to find out more about our lives, since he missed out on so much, but I... I don't know, it was weird, and Alex yelled at me and—" Kara's tears started flowing again, and she sniffed loudly. A fat tear plopped onto the collar of Lena's jacket and Kara blushed, tried to sit up and wipe it off. Lena let her go quickly but kept a warm hand on Kara's hip. Kara's hands waved around her face. "She said—she said if I wasn't just _happy_ Jeremiah was back, that _I wasn't part of the family_."

 

And at that, Kara was sobbing again, shudders wracking her body. 

 

" _And then Jeremiah left anyway._ "

 

" _Oh, Kara_ ," Lena breathed. She slid her arm around Kara's back and wrapped her in another hug. Kara was conscientious not to grip Lena too hard, but she curled tightly into the other woman, hiding her face in Lena's neck. "Shh, shh." She was quiet for a moment, letting Kara cry against her shoulder and trying to figure out what best to say next. "Believe it or not," she mused, a little wry, "I know how you're feeling right now."

 

" _I'm so sorry_ ," Kara sniffed, tensing in Lena's arms. "I don't want to—to bring up bad memories for you. I shouldn't have—"

 

"Hey, no," Lena said firmly, drawing back just a touch so she could rest a hand on Kara's cheek, look her in the eye. "You're my most important friend, Kara Danvers. You can tell me  _anything_." And the words seemed to have a touch of weight to them, and Kara thought  _I really should tell Lena about being Supergirl_ , and Lena's mouth was curled into such a pretty, comforting smile, and Kara thought  _I really want to kiss Lena right now_. Lena swiped a thumb under Kara's eye to brush away a tear, breaking the spell. "I care about you, in way I've never cared about another friend before." Kara nodded. "Do you think talking to your sister would help?" Kara paused.

 

"I'm sorry I talked you into seeing your mom at the prison," Kara mumbled, wrapping her arms around Lena again and tugging her in close. Lena laughed a little, tucking her head into Kara's shoulder.

 

"That wasn't what we were talking about, Kara."

 

"I know, it just—what you said reminded me, and I just thought I needed to apologize. That was—it was really bad advice, and it wound up getting you hurt—almost getting you _killed_." Lena pressed her nose into the side of Kara's neck, and Kara tried to pretend it didn't give her chills.  _Not the time, Danvers._  "And I don't  _ever_ want you getting hurt. Especially not because of something I did." Lena was quiet for a moment.

 

"That's very sweet of you," Lena replied finally, and her breath was warm on Kara's neck, too. "But your sister, thank god, is  _not_ my mother."

 

"I don't know if Alex would want to see me right now," Kara confessed. 

 

"She's your sister," Lena said, rubbing Kara's back. "You two are close, right?"

 

"Alex is my best friend," Kara answered without missing a beat. 

 

"Then you have to talk to her about this," Lena decided, pulling away. "I know I'm not the most qualified to be giving family advice, but Kara... If she's feeling anything like you seem to be feeling tonight, I'm sure she could really use her sister."

 

Kara stared at Lena for a long moment. Her shoulder slumped and she threaded her fingers through Lena's hand, which Lena seemed a little more comfortable with than all the hugging. "I'm glad you're here, Lena," Kara said softly, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm so glad we're friends. You're... I think you're one of my most important friends, too."

 

Lena beamed, squeezed Kara's hand gently.

 

"Come on, I'll drive you," Lena said, tugging lightly.

 

"What?"

 

"To Alex's," Lena clarified. "Just tell me where she lives."

 

"Lena, you don't have to—"

 

"It's no trouble."

 

Lena stood, and Kara let herself be pulled along, snatching the bag of croissants in her other hand. Lena smirked a little.

 

"Want to take one?" Kara asked, offering the bag, and Lena shook her head.

 

"Give mine to your sister," Lena suggested, and Kara's heart did a little tug. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

 

"What did I do to deserve you, Lena Luthor?" Kara asked as Lena shouldered her purse again, smoothed out her skirt. 

 

"Oh, Kara," Lena sighed, "I'm pretty sure it's _me_ who doesn't deserve _you_. This is the least I can do for my very own Supergirl."

 

" _Ha_ ," Kara sputtered, following Lena into the hallway. " _Ha_ , yeah. Jeez, that's funny."

 

Lena shot her a weird look, and Kara bit her lip to avoid saying anything else awkward. The two took the elevator down to the street.

 

The drive over was quiet. Lena's car was a high-end electric sedan that could've given Kryptonian technology a run for its money. Lena adjusted her XM radio to a station playing soft acoustics, and when Kara sniffled again—more a remnant of her earlier crying than anything—Lena offered her hand to hold over the center console. Even if she didn't need it, Kara graciously accepted. There was something about holding Lena's hand that just  _fit._

 

When they got to Alex's apartment building, Kara was a little reluctant to leave Lena behind. Lena squeezed her hand one more time and dropped it.

 

"Thank you again, Lena," Kara whispered, voice a little raw. "You didn't have to do all of this for me."

 

"Yes, I did," Lena answered swiftly. "Now go, be with your sister. Text me if you need anything else. I'll come back for you if you need me to."

 

"Of course." In an impulse decision, Kara leaned over the console to press a quick kiss to Lena's cheek—perhaps a bit closer to the corner of her mouth than she'd intended, but she had pulled back and was out the door of Lena's car in Lena's next heartbeat. Lena didn't even really wonder how Kara had disappeared so fast. She pressed two fingers to the spot where Kara's lips had just been and tried to fight the urge to grin like a fool, ducking her head to hide her answering blush from exactly no one. She waited on the curb for a while, just to make certain Kara's sister didn't actually turn her away and Kara wasn't left stranded here, across town.

 

Kara could hear Alex crying from several floors down. Checking to make sure no one was around, she flew quickly up the staircase to Alex's floor, adjusting her glasses once she'd landed. Her knock on Alex's door was timid, but Alex choked on a surprised sob. It was Maggie's voice that called, "Come in!" and the door squeaked quietly as Kara pushed it slowly open.

 

Alex was curled up in Maggie's arms, knees to her chest and arms around Maggie, and the detective rocked her slightly. When Kara caught sight of her sister looking so worn and scared and  _shattered_ , the tears began to well up in Kara's eyes again.

 

"Alex—Alex I'm  _so sorry—_ "

 

And Alex was out of Maggie's arms just like that, clinging to Kara's neck. " _No!_ No," Alex admonished. "No,  _I'm_ sorry. What I said to you was  _unacceptable_. It was—it was  _mean_ , and I should've  _listened_ to you." Kara could smell the whiskey on Alex, and she clutched her big sister even tighter, careful, still, not to hold her  _too_ tight. "You're my sister, Kara.  _You're my family_ , and I love you. _I love you_ , you know that, right?" Alex's voice was wobbly, and Kara sniffled, nodding.

 

"I love you, too, Alex," Kara whimpered. "You're my best friend. I'm sorry about Jeremiah—"

 

"Hey, babe?" Maggie interrupted, smoothing a hand over Alex's back. "I'm gonna head out—looks like you guys need to talk. Text me if you need anything. I can come back anytime."

 

Something about that exchange felt familiar, and Kara couldn't place why. Alex extricated herself briefly from Kara's arms to kiss Maggie before Maggie gently took the croissant bag from Kara to place on the counter. She headed out the door and left the two sisters alone in Alex's apartment.

 

Alex sniffled again. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you, Kara. I should have. I shouldn't have assumed the worst of you."

 

"No, shh," Kara shook her head. "I wasn't—this is—"

 

"This is  _my fault_ ," Alex continued.

 

" _No_ ," Kara insisted quickly, rage clicking on like a stovetop. "This isn't  _either_ of our faults. This is  _Cadmus's_ fault."

 

"You're right," Alex agreed, wiping her eyes and steeling herself. "You're _right._  We're gonna get those bastards."

 

Kara nodded, wiping residual tears from beneath her own eyes, folding her arms. "Lillian Luthor will _not_ get away with this."

 

"Damn straight," Alex agreed. "That evil bitch is gonna pay for what she did to our family."

 

Kara agreed resolutely. " _And_ what she did to Lena," she added. Alex narrowed her eyes a little at Kara, but nodded.

 

"And what she did to Lena," Alex repeated. She tilted her head to the side a little, giving Kara a funny look.

 

"What?" Kara asked.

 

"Nothing," Alex said, schooling her expression. "I'm tired of being so sad," Alex confessed. "And I still feel sorry about how I treated you."

 

"Me, too. On both counts. Can we just forget about all this, just for tonight?"

 

"I have Cookies 'n' Cream ice cream in the freezer," Alex suggested. "Do you want to just... watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?"

 

Kara nodded. " _So badly_." She paused. "Oh, and Lena gave me these chocolate croissants for us to share." She lifted the bag from where she'd placed it on the countertop. That odd look of Alex's was back, but Alex simply took the baggie from Kara.

 

"C'mon," Alex opened herself up, slinging one arm around her sister's shoulders and resting their heads together. "Let's just... forget about this all for a little bit, and decompress, huh?"

 

The two fell asleep on opposite ends of Alex's couch, feet and legs tangled in the middle with their heads on the armrests, the dregs of an ice-cream carton melting on the coffee table while some stupid comedy they'd both only grudgingly agreed on played in the background. When they woke up, they both had cricks in their necks and cups of coffee courtesy of a sneaky Maggie and texts from their favorite women (aside from each other, of course) waiting for them. 

 

Last night, they'd let themselves forget. When morning came, they began to forge a battle plan.

**Author's Note:**

> I love suffering and pain. Anyway, Alex Danvers deserves nice things, the Danvers sisters deserve each other's support, and Lena and Maggie deserve the Danvers sisters.
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this really fast after the episode ended last night, so forgive me for any mistakes or consistency errors. Thanks for reading, guys!


End file.
